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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Martha Hall to Annie Carlisle May 9 1880

1880

FoxLakeIllMay 9

My Dear Cousin,

It is Sunday evening and I am writing so as to post it tomorrow. I have been scuffling with Uncle Henry and my hand trembles so I can hardly write. And now Ella is gone she was married the 26th of April to a Mr Jacob McKinnon of Beaufort Minnesota they met at Uncle Wirt’s in Eau Claire he was down almost three weeks before and we got pretty well acquainted with him we like him very he is a farmer owning 160 acres of land all paid for so in that way she has done well

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but we will be better able to tell in 10 years than now what kind of man he is he is Scotch.

We are having splendid weather now everything is quite forward. I never saw everything grow as it has done for the last week. Apple. plum. & cherry trees are just white with blossoms. It bids fair now for an abundance of fruit this year. our garden is coming up nicely this year small grain is up nicely and everyone is plowing for corn.

I am teaching at Monaville this summer so you can see I am at home. I have not a very large school either in number or size there is six in A B C’s the rest are from 8 to 16 years old. It is raining tonight

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in fact it has been trying to rain all day. we had quite a heavy shower last night but it died off this morning so that we went to church.

George & Eune seem to be doing nicely. Eune is so fat she weighs 141 pounds now three more I do and I am 6 inches the taller.

Aunt Ellen and Uncle William were down last. Susie is teaching school this summer.

Deette seems as happy as mortals usually are.

Our family seems quite small now-a-days only father, mother, Myrtle and myself.

Did Ella write you of Mr Culver’s death he died the second of April of pneumonia and Ev Culver is married so she’s

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the only one of those children (that were on a) that is left.

Well I am the only one up in the house so I guess you will have to excuse.

Martha J Hall

P.S. Write whenever you find time and I will always answer when there is no one else to do it though I do not like to write very well.

M.

What did "scuffling with Uncle Henry" mean and why did it make her tremble?

Ella Letitia Hall married Jacob McKinnon. The Illinois State Marriage Index gives the date as April 22, 1880.

George H Wisner, born March 1848 would have been a first cousin of both Martha and Annie. My best guess is that he was a son of William Abner Wisner and a wife whose identity is as yet undiscovered. George married Eunice Ann Fenlon, daughter of Thomas and Eunice Fenlon, on November 5, 1873. This is the George Wisner that sued all of the descendants of William Wisner for land owned by William.

William Abner Wisner married about 1856 for his 3rd (?) wife, Susan Ellen Barto, daughter of John C and Susan (Berry) Barto. Their first oldest child was Susan (Susie), born in 1860. In 1880 they were living in Antioch, Lake Co, IL but would soon be leaving for Kansas. (Susan Ellen Barto's sister, Julia Ann, married George E Wisner, brother of William Abner.)